Released
by if-inconvenient-come-anyways
Summary: The Rani has been trapped on earth since the Time War- what will she do now that she's free? Esmeralda's walked headlong into a trap. Will she be able to escape? Does she even want to? (this is my first published fic- please review!)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Allllllll righty then so this is my first published fic so sorry if its a little rough around the edges (although i did hand it in for an english project- it got a 97 btw :) ) and i will probably add more later, which will require me to change the ending of this so there's an actual plot (i would do this not but its almost 4 am and I'm rambling so...)

um yeah so the rani is not mine no she isn't i wish she was but sadly no she belongs to whoever among the DW original writers who created her (sadly i don't know who that is)

Esmeralda whippenpuff, however is mine (along with the other characters) and i quite like her so i'd appreciate if no one took her from me kay thx

you probably want to read the story now so, here

. . . . .

Esmeralda Whippenpuff was having a very long day. First, the paper on quantum mechanical three dimensional wave functions she had been assigned a month ago (she had only been working on it for a week; Esmeralda was a bit of a procrastinator) had been due this morning. True to her nature, she had spent the entire night finishing up the last few pages. Not to say that Esmeralda had no knowledge of quantum mechanical three dimensional wave functions- she was a very bright student and it was no surprise when she got accepted to Princeton University. She just hated writing papers.

Looking on the brighter side of things, today had been the last day of the semester and Esmeralda was headed home for the winter holidays. Immediately after turning in her paper, Esmeralda ran to her dorm and began throwing anything she saw into her suitcase. As mentioned before, Esmeralda is a procrastinator. She waited until the last minute to write her paper and she waited until the last minute to pack. She was ready in record time; break was only a week and a half after all.

With a steaming cup of coffee in hand, Esmeralda packed her car and began the long drive to Maine. Why she had insisted on driving to school, she had no idea.

Eight hours later, Esmeralda was pulling up in her parents' driveway and all she wanted to do was sleep. After exchanging a few hugs and greetings with her parents, she went upstairs to her childhood room and did just that.

Over the next few days, the preparations for Christmas dinner were going swimmingly. Esmeralda's siblings Marco and Larissa had arrived with their respective wife and boyfriend in tow. Numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents cluttered the house, putting the previously empty space to use. Still, the place was right crowded.

On the morning of the third day of break, Esmeralda came down for breakfast to find most of the family milling about the kitchen in their unique morning routines. Grabbing a muffin, she sat down between Marco and her twelve-year-old cousin, Jake. Grandma Jean sat across the table, chatting with Uncle Lou about a missing person from nearby.

"Oh, it's so awful, and right before Christmas too! I'm tellin' you, Lou, they need to step up the security."

Uncle Lou grunted in agreement and took a bite of his donut, eyes never leaving the morning paper.

"Who was it?" asked Marco, somewhat intrigued by the topic.

"You know, Old Barry Beaner, runs the grocery mart downtown," Grandma Jean answered.

"I reckon he got caught by the witch!" Jack exclaimed to his twin, Alex, who gave a "No way, dude!"

"Enough with those ridiculous rumors! That isn't even remotely funny," Grandma scolded the two boys. "For all we know Barry could be at his family's for the holidays."

"Not likely," Jack muttered to Alex.

"I wouldn't bring up the witch if I were you," Marco said with a sly grin. "She'll be after you next! Legend says that at night she comes out and-"

Esmeralda slapped him lightly, exclaiming "Shut up, Marco! You'll scare them!"

"Us? Scared of a little old witch? Hardly!" Alex scoffed.

Esmeralda used to be terribly frightened of all that stuff, but she had grown out of it like any other adult. Still, she remembered when she had first heard the story of the witch…

It is only at night when she emerges. Her eyes gleam with the hatred of a thousand years, for in her mind, she's been wronged. Being the creature she was, revenge lies at the top of her list. She'd spent centuries pursuing her hateful justice throughout time and space, but as of the past five decades or so, she's been stuck. The fearsome, powerful, clever Rani is stuck on Earth with a dysfunctional TARDIS and unfinished business.

To say the least, she is not pleased. Crash-landing in the middle of a forest has not done her TARDIS any favors; the only useful task it could preform, besides keeping the lights on, was giving their location: some unknown town in Maine.

But the Rani doesn't give up so easily- this is her opportunity to come up with a plan, a foolproof plan that wouldn't get her stranded on some godforsaken planet again. Still fresh from the Time War, she had barely escaped with her life before being blown out of the time vortex. They were going to pay for that. No- _H__e_ was going to pay for that.

However, that will have to wait. First things first: fix the TARDIS. Everything was intact, but it couldn't dematerialize. Most of its systems had failed- the chameleon circuit (the spaceship was now a steel box), the translator (leaving the Rani to ramble on in Gallifreyan), but most importantly, the engines. The spark of life that had always been so constant within the ship was dimmed to almost untraceable. But the Rani was more connected to her TARDIS than any other Time Lord or Lady. She knew what it needed, how much of it, and how long it would take until it was fully operational again (the latter being a discouraging number).

Her TARDIS needed life it couldn't get on its own, and the Rani certainly wouldn't give up her own for the ship- who would be there to fly it, to escape, to seek her revenge? _Yes, _she smiled to herself. _I will need supplements._ Surely this was no different than one of her experiments? That was exactly how she would treat it, she decided. Not that she ever cared a bit for the lives of her test subjects. A quickly rigged device would allow the Rani to directly transfer the life energy of the inhabitants of this planet to the Heart of her TARDIS.

The life energy of a human is almost negligible to that of a TARDIS, the Rani's especially. However, the ship would only need energy until it became self-sufficient again. This would still require an immense amount of human lives, which was 'regrettable' in the Rani's opinion. She never gave it a second thought.

Nevertheless, over the next fifty-or-so years, people began disappearing in the dark of the night, lured in by the Rani's silky voice and foreign cadence, promising trust and love, happiness and friendship, knowledge and power. And they went willingly. No human ever returned from an encounter from the Rani. Quiet observers relayed their suspicions, watching as people vanished inside that unforgiving steel box, the cold eyes and evil smile of the woman in the forest, the white light that pierced their eyes and the screams that pierced their ears as the Rani's TARDIS fed off the victim's soul.

Rumors spread about the witch of the forest- to meet her was the last thing you would ever do. Her real name was forbidden from knowledge, her self-given title was forbidden from speech. To speak of her would invoke her presence. People avoided the woods, save for a few daring teenagers and Halloween tricksters, neither of which returned. The disappearances went under "missing" files, as no hard evidence could be found to prove neither the Rani's existence nor her murderous tenancies.

And there she remained, hidden in the forest, waiting...

It was later in the evening, but Esmeralda wasn't tired anymore. However, she was annoyed at her cousins for being little twerps, her brother for goading them on, her grandma for being a buzzkill, and everyone else for generally existing. To put it mildly, she needed some alone time.

And that was how Esmeralda ended up walking through the forest at night. Completely alone. At least she hoped…

Esmeralda hadn't meant to get lost, obviously. She'd been having a lovely time clearing her head and just wandering around. Before she knew it, the sky was dark and Esmeralda had no idea where she was. The sound of the wind echoing through the bare branches had her on edge. Even the slightest noise made her jump. Esmeralda cursed herself for being so stupid- and she was freezing.

"Are you lost?"

Esmeralda yelped at the voice, jumping twenty feet in the air. The speaker was a woman, but, in the dark, that was all Esmeralda could tell.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the weird forest-woman chuckled. She spoke with a strange accent. Esmeralda was liking this situation less and less. She narrowed her eyes.

"Um, okay…"

"Here, I can help you! Come with me."

"I don't think that's the best-" Esmeralda was cut off as the stranger took her by the arm deeper into the forest.

"And how about some hot chocolate? You're shivering like mad!"

"Hey! Whaddya think you're-"

Failing to yank her arm away, Esmeralda was reluctantly pulled through the trees towards who knows where.

"Excuse you, but I really don't appreciate you dragging me around the forest in the middle of the night," Esmeralda said frostily. "What is your problem? Who the hell you think you are? I have a right to know where you're taking me!"

"Rights?" the woman laughed. "Don't hold on to those." A shiver ran down Esmeralda's spine. "And I'm only trying to help."

"With what?"

Esmeralda's question went unanswered, but she hardly noticed because the woman's appearance had just been brought to light. Her skin was as pale as the moon while her hair was silver and wild. This did not make her look older- in fact it emphasized her youthful face. Well, youthful compared to Grandma Jean. Esmeralda would place her at late twenties, early thirties. She was wearing all black, but the amicable expression on her features beckoned Esmeralda towards her.

However, something about this woman didn't line up. Her eyes were…different. Esmeralda couldn't place her finger on it.

Esmeralda looked past the woman and saw something even stranger. A harsh steel _box_ (there was no other word for it) stood in the middle of the forest, right behind the woman. A bright white light was pouring form its open doors. Esmeralda gasped.

"Hello, Esmeralda," the woman said, her strange accent twisting the words into something almost alien. "I am the Rani. Won't you come inside?" She gestured to the open doors. "I promised you a hot chocolate. Let's not keep the TARDIS waiting." Though her words were spoken with friendliness, there was a sinister tone underneath.

Esmeralda didn't trust this woman, the Rani. She had no idea who or what a TARDIS was (though she had an uneasy feeling she was looking at it) and she was _definitely_ not down with sharing a hot chocolate with a strange woman she had meet in the forest who somehow knew her name. "I…uh-"

"Don't just stand there, come along," the Rani said with a grin that Esmeralda wasn't sure what to make of. She was suddenly reminded of the witch that supposedly lived in this forest. The Rani pulled her into the 'TARDIS' before she could make up her mind.

The interior was _huge_. Approximately twenty times the size of her room at her parents' house, which made absolutely no sense. On the outside, the box looked to be the standard size of a refrigerator.

Smack dab in the center of the room was a green glowing column connecting the ceiling to the floor. Something inside of it was pulsating, which led Esmeralda to believe that maybe it was alive after all. Surrounding this column was a hexagonal sort of keyboard system, complete with innumerable knobs, buttons, and levers. Esmeralda was itching to press one if not all of them. Lining the walls of the room were a bunch of human-sized capsules containing-

"Esmeralda," the Rani said, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. Esmeralda flinched. "Isn't it wonderful? Take a look around! I've come so far since I came crashing down on your puny planet all those years ago, only to be trapped in this wretched forest. My TARDIS was all bungled up- that became a problem. I couldn't leave."

Esmeralda had no idea what this crazy lady was talking about. There was no trace of the former friendliness in the Rani's face- it now matched her cold, hateful eyes. But Esmeralda was willing to let the Rani ramble on, despite the large lump of fear in the pit of her stomach- she might be able to make her escape if the Rani was distracted.

"Right after the Time War too! How inconvenient. But I'm a relatively patient person." The Rani smiled. "My TARDIS needed energy and what better energy to restore life than life itself? However, even with feeding all those human lives to the TARDIS it still took half a century to retain the necessary self-sustaining energy."

A horrible feeling stirred in the back of Esmeralda's mind, quickly making itself known. She knew what was in those capsules, and with the way things were looking, she was going to join them,

"This is where you come in," the Rani spoke directly to Esmeralda now. "I need your life energy to start my ship. You are the key to my freedom." Her wild eyes bored into Esmeralda, staring right through her as if she could see the spark of life that would set her free.

"Why can't you just be happy on Earth?" Esmeralda asked, stalling. She cast a nervous glance towards the front of the TARDIS. The doors were still open.

"Oh no, you don't!" They slammed shut with a snap of the Rani's fingers. Esmeralda gulped. She was really trapped now. "I have an agenda- unfinished business. You will _not_ work I've spent _half _a _century_ on!" the Rani growled, advancing towards Esmeralda. Her eyes widened in fear at the angry Time Lady. She stepped back.

Thinking quickly, Esmeralda looked wildly around at the capsules- cryotanks. "Your _work_?" she said bravely, hoping the fear didn't show through her words. "You've been sucking the life out of people and for what? Your stupid ship?"

The Rani's anger flared, forcing Esmeralda to recoil again- her back pressed against a cryotank.

"You – know – _nothing_, you _stupid_ human girl!" she hissed, grabbing Esmeralda's neck in a chokehold. Esmeralda's hands scrambled at the edges of the cryotank. "You _think, _after all I've been through, that I will just _sit _here?" _Come on,_ Esmeralda thought, feeling for the buttons behind her. _Just a little further._ "There – are – _things_ – that – cannot – go – _unpunished!" _

Esmeralda's fingers found a button on the cryotank and she pushed it without hesitation. The door slid open sideways and she fell from being pressed against open air, released from the chokehold. The Rani, however, was not so lucky. Gasping for breath, Esmeralda watched as she tumbled forward into the (thankfully empty) cryotank, hitting her head on the hard steel. The Rani watched, dazed, as the door automatically slid in front of her, trapping her inside the cryotank. She began banging on it as soon as she realized what happened, silently threatening Esmeralda behind the glass, eyes flashing furiously.

Esmeralda's fingers found a green button on the cryotank. She pushed it and immediately the Rani's cage filled with blinding white light. Esmeralda watched in horror as the TARDIS sucked out the Rani's soul, her life energy- the screams were becoming quieter, the pounding on the door weaker. Esmeralda stood frozen.

Then lights began to flash all around the TARDIS with newfound energy. An odd noise rumbled from deep within the organic machine, almost like a growl.

Esmeralda knew she had to get out of there.

She sprinted for the door, the Rani forgotten, and pushed on it with all her might. It did not budge. Fear fluttered in Esmeralda's chest as she hurriedly searched for a way to open the unyielding doors. A set of buttons to the right of the hinges caught her attention. Praying her luck would hold, Esmeralda frantically slammed every button at once to no avail. The thick metal doors loomed over her, showing no sign that they had ever been opened, separating her from the only life she had ever known. Esmeralda sank to her knees and choked back a sob, wondering what the hell she got herself into. The TARDIS, which had been vibrating slowly, started to shudder violently, jerking Esmeralda away from the doors. She sat, helpless, as the TARDIS took her farther away from her home, from Earth, farther than any human could hope to reach.

Through her misery*, Esmeralda saw a bright yellow light suddenly emanate from the Rani's cryotank, followed by a rushing noise. Shielding her eyes, Esmeralda sat up straight, homesickness forgotten. A new wave of fear rose like the tide in her heart.

The cryotank door slowly creaked open. Esmeralda held her breath as the figure of a woman stepped out, sheathed in yellow particles of pure energy. She turned to face Esmeralda as the sparks dissipated. Esmeralda gasped. It was the Rani, she knew, with a different _face_, colder, harder, and more sinister than before. It was if the previous one had been a guise and Esmeralda was just now seeing the true nature of the Rani.

"Foolish girl," the Rani said. "You thought you could kill me?"

She laughed, high melodic tones, somewhat soothing, but at the same time sent cold shivers down Esmeralda's spine.

. . . . .

A/N: This is the updated chapter, not that anyone saw the other one. well, hopefully someone'll see this part. If you do click on this, i wanna know what you think. did you like it? did you hate it? was it dumb? too basic? i wanna know, so please review. it would mean the world :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay so just finished Chapter 2! Sorry if there are any errors/typos. Never thought I'd actually get to Chapter 2 but here it is if anyone's interested

Disclaimer: I still do not own any Doctor Who characters or concepts. Only Esmeralda :)

. . . . .

It was impossible. Impossible, but no matter; here was the Rani alive, and with a new face at that.

_She should be dead,_ Esmeralda thought. _Why isn't she dead? I killed her myself,_ a thought which made Esmeralda uneasy in so many ways. She backed away from the cold woman before her, slowly and cautiously, for the Rani was a wolf that could leap at any second.

Esmeralda braved her thoughts and spoke. "Why aren't you dead?"

"I was." The Rani flashed a chilling smile. Esmeralda took another step back. "Death has never stopped me so far. I have lived more lives than you can ever imagine. You didn't actually believe my TARDIS would take my life, did you? What's a ship without it's pilot? The TARDIS needs me as much as I need her. Who else would fly her, you?" the Rani scoffed.

Esmeralda's back was pressed against the wall of the TARDIS now, next to the door. She glanced around nervously for an escape but there were none; to get out of this alive, she would need her wits. The Rani had said she was dependent on her TARDIS. If Esmeralda could somehow exploit this and separate the Rani from her ship...leaving Esmeralda with no way home. Same result if she found a way off the TARDIS.

The Rani took a step forward, catching Esmeralda's attention.

"Come to think of it," she said, slowly advancing, "I've never felt more alive." The witch, Esmeralda was sure she was a witch by now, regardless of what she said about space and time, grinned in a way that sent more shivers down Esmeralda's spine.

Esmeralda shuffled to her left, away from the doors, in an attempt to get away from the Rani. The latter easily changed directions. _Shit!_ Esmeralda thought as she nearly tripped over a wire. She felt like a cornered deer falling prey to a hungry wolf. The wolf bared her teeth.

As Esmeralda tried to melt into the wall, her hand touched something cold-metal. Without thinking, she grabbed it from its place, holding what looked like a sharp blade between her and the Rani. _What the hell,_ she thought, mentally shrugging.

"I see you've found my sword." The Rani sounded amused. "Not that it'll do you any good."

The sword was heavy, swaying slightly in Esmeralda's hands the longer she held it in front of herself. Nevertheless, she spoke defiantly to the Rani: "Take me home right now or I'll kill you again." To her credit, Esmeralda's voice wavered less than the sword.

"I don't think so," said the Rani. The witch stepped closer until her chest was mere inches from the sword's tip. "You'll never get home without me. I can play this game with you forever. Each time you kill me I'll come back. You'll tire after an hour, maybe a day, while I can go on for _centuries_." Esmeralda was too frozen with fear to call the Rani's bluff, nor did she know it for what it was. The Rani's voice was slightly above a whisper, but the words burned Esmeralda's ears.

"You may think you've won, but don't bet on it. I am a Time Lady of Gallifrey and I will _always_ win. You can never kill me." The Rani's features were confident and fearsome, but no sooner than she had finished speaking, her spine went rigid. The Rani blinked once before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her body tilted away from Esmeralda's swordpoint as equilibrium failed her, crashing to the ground with a _thump_.

Esmeralda stared at the now vulnerable body of the Rani and lowered the sword until the point touched her exposed throat. Esmeralda's heartbeat thrummed in her ears.

_I could do it. I could do it right now. In fact, I should. If I kill her now-_

In her unconsciousness, the fierce expression had faded from the Rani's features. Her face looked like it could be that of a small child, lost and separated from her family. _How is it that someone so cruel could look so helpless?_ Esmeralda had lowered her sword without even thinking. She sighed.

_What am I going to do with myself?_ she thought.

Esmeralda gathered herself for a quick search of the TARDIS and, after finding a bedroom- even the Rani had to sleep right?- proceeded to drag the comatose Time Lady into the room, depositing her on the bed. Then she went in search of a kitchen to make some tea.

Now this may seem incredibly British, but Esmeralda was more than a bit stressed out and tea really calmed her nerves, a trick she had discovered during college. _Don't think about it,_ Esmeralda warned herself.

On the other hand, the TARDIS seemed to have an infinite amount of rooms and Esmeralda was pleased to find a kitchen stock full of various warm beverage packets. Esmeralda filled the kettle, setting it to boil, and prepared two cups of tea in case the Rani wanted some. Who knows how much stress changing faces can cause?

Esmeralda brought the teacups in the Rani's room, placing one on the nightstand next to the bed and the other on a desk across from it. Esmeralda plopped herself on the desk, tea in one hand and sword in the other and waited...

Esmeralda sighed. It had been about twenty minutes; the Rani was taking a right good nap, or else she was out cold. She decided to examine the sword in hand.

It was nothing special. The blade was a strong metal of silvery-blue that she had never seen before while the hilt was a darker color of what looked like steel. There were no gems or stones inlaid anywhere on the weapon; it was made for one purpose, and that wasn't decoration.

_Typical, really, that I find a fricking _sword_, and not a laser gun or something,_ Esmeralda thought. She was really starting to feel like a character in some poorly written fantasy novel.

A movement from where the Rani lay stirred Esmeralda from her thoughts. She hopped down from the desk and walked to the Rani's bedside.

"'Bout time you woke up, you lazy hag," Esmeralda said, sword pointing at the Rani's throat, who, in turn, glared daggers at Esmeralda.

"You try rearranging the DNA of every cell in your body," the Rani huffed. "It's not as easy as it looks. And put that sword down- if you were going to kill me you would have done it already."

The sword did not move.

"I thought you said you can't be killed," Esmeralda said, to which the Rani scowled. "Anyways, I don't want to kill you. I want to negotiate."

"Ah, of course." A grin appeared on the Rani's features. "You can't get home without me."

Esmeralda's mouth tightened. As much as she hated to admit it, the Rani was right. Without the Time Lady, Esmeralda would be stuck on this ship forever.

"And if I refuse?" the Rani asked.

"I'll kill you." A droplet of blood trickled from the Rani's throat where Esmeralda held the sword, but they both knew the threat was empty.

The Rani pinched the blade between her forefinger and thumb, moving it an inch back from her windpipe. "That's not much of a negotiation" She almost sounded disappointed. "Here's a better idea: I kill you now and then continue on with my plans while your dead body rots in the cold abyss of space."

For some reason, after seeing the Rani's unconscious face, all peaceful and little-girl-like, she didn't seem as frightening, however foolish that may be.

Esmeralda frowned. "That wasn't very nice."

"I'm not a nice person."

"You should try. Maybe people would actually like you instead of trying to kill you."

At this, the Rani actually laughed, and not the I'm-about-to-kill-your-family laugh, which Esmeralda considered a plus. "You know what, maybe I"ll keep you around. I could use an extra hand around here."

"You're not really in a position to back that up," Esmeralda pointed out.

"Neither are you," the Rani said, nodding to the sword in Esmeralda's hands.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't make tea for someone you intend to kill."

. . . . .

A/N: And that's Chapter 2! I have no idea when I'll get Chapter 3 up, this one kind of came our at random. Anyways, tell me what you think: Was it stupid? Are there any mistakes? Did you like it? Or is the entire idea a bad one from the start? I'd love to know what you think so please review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello there! Wow I've been away long! Sorry about that, just been very busy with life's shenanigans and such. Anyways, here's a new chapter! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: still dont own Doctor Who or any of its concepts. *sadness* But I do own Esmeralda!

Story time!

. . . . .

After a couple hours, the Rani was fully alert, fiddling with the controls of the TARDIS. Esmeralda sat nearby, attempting and failing to understand the mechanisms of the alien ship. It looked like the TARDIS dematerialized by the pull of a lever, but she could not be sure, as the TARDIS was already in flight by the time she had started observing. The Rani pressed a button beneath a flashing light, turned a steering wheel (though the TARDIS seemed to steer itself), then continued to enter a successive combination of seemingly random numbers and letters, which showed up on a screen in the control panel. A cacophony of strange machine noises erupted from the TARDIS from time to time, silenced by a quick jab of the Rani's finger to a seemingly random button. After a while, Esmeralda just gave up. So much for an escape route.

"So where are we going?" Esmeralda asked, partially to satisfy her curiosity and also annoy the Rani.

"Who says we're going anywhere?" the Rani replied without faltering in her operations.

"The ship's moving," Esmeralda retorted. "It'd be a waste of whatever energy this thing uses, plus you're still fiddling with the controls on thy computer so it must be important."

The Rani was a tad impressed.

"We're just going to run a few errands, replenish supplies and all," she said, scooting around to fix the translation unit. The twist of a knob, the push of a button, and "There, that's better," the Rani said in perfect English.

"Hey, where's your accent?" Esmeralda asked curiously.

"That," the Rani said, patting the console, "was the Translation Unit. I'm speaking Gallifreyan, but you hear English."

Esmeralda narrowed her eyes. "But you were speaking in English before."

"Just because I _can_ speak in English doesn't mean I prefer it. I am more familiar with Gallifreyan, as it is my home tongue, just as you would be more familiar with English than, say French, if you knew the language," the Rani said scathingly.

"Je peux parler français," Esmeralda muttered.

"Anyways," continued the Rani, fiddling with other parts of the console, "now we'll be able to breathe once were out of the TARDIS." She flicked a lever.

"What, no oxygen tanks?" Esmeralda asked.

The Rani scoffed. "I'm a Time Lady, not a turtle. It's an oxygen field. Most planets don't have harmful atmospheres anyways. Living things prefer oxygen to other materials."

Esmeralda was intrigued. Not that she would ever mention this to the Rani, but Esmeralda had always been interested in extra terrestrial life. Her current situation, however, was much different than she had envisioned.

The TARDIS began to shudder and make its _whirring_ noise again. Esmeralda had to hold on to a nearby railing to keep from falling off her chair. Lights flickered as the glowing green piston slowed to a stop.

"What was that?" Esmeralda asked.

"Landing." The TARDIS touched down with a _thump_.

The Rani made her way to the door, grabbing something Esmeralda didn't see and attaching it to her waist. Esmeralda began to follow.

"No, no, you're staying right here," the Rani snapped at her.

"Nah, I think I'll just tag along," Esmeralda countered.

The Rani glared at her. "You're going to stay in the TARDIS and wait until I come back."

"What do you think I'm gonna do, run away? Where would I go? I can't exactly go home, I mean I have no idea where I am and I'm probably not even in the right time period even if I managed to find my way back to Earth."

The Rani sighed at the truth in Esmeralda's words. "Fine. But I swear if you mess anything up I'm leaving you here to rot. And if you run away, I'm leaving without you and you can find another Time Lord to take you home."

Esmeralda was delighted in spite of the situation. But something stuck in her mind. "Wait, there are other Time Lords?"

The Rani smiled sadly. "No, they're all dead."

. . . . .

"_Wow_."

Esmeralda's breath caught in her throat when she stepped out of the TARDIS. She's be lying if she said she'd rather be at home right now. The planet's sky was blood-red, adorned with yellow-orange clouds. Two suns were visible on the horizon; a yellow streak flared behind the lower as it set, the second sun not far behind. Numerous planets were visible in the sky of varying sizes, some decked in rings. A city lay adjacent to a shimmering green sea. Sailboats, galleys, longboats and even canoes populated the harbor, gently rocking in the waves. A closer look would show that the boats were made mostly of metal. The buildings were low to the ground and blended in with the red, sandy terrain. Esmeralda and the Rani looked down on the city from a slight hill, tall enough to see the jagged peaks of a mountain range in the distance.

"Welcome to the City of Sand, or simply Sand City, of the planet Erimidos," the Rani said with a sweeping arm gesture.

"A binary star system," Esmeralda breathed.

"And the technology capital of the Constellation of Kasterboros."

"_This_ is a technology capital?" If Esmeralda were to measure its technological capability by Earth standards, she'd put it around the pre-Industrial Revolution era.

"It doesn't look like much, but it was the closest planet to Gallifrey and has absorbed some of Gallifrey's superior knowledge on technology and possibly time travel," the Rani explained. "However, they are nowhere near the capacity to actually build a time machine like my TARDIS. What knowledge they carry lies mostly in information and spare parts. If we're lucky, they may have old TARDIS parts, not knowing what they truly possess."

Esmeralda still wasn't clear on the whole 'Gallifrey' thing, but she felt now was not a good time to ask. She and the Rani began to make their way towards the Sand City. A dry breeze ruffled her hair, creating dust swirls across the sparse landscape.

"So you just need to get your parts and then we'll be out of here?" Esmeralda asked.

The Rani nodded in confirmation.

"So while you do that, I can just...explore?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you can get the food." The Rani handed Esmeralda a list.

GROCERY LIST:

TEAS

SALT

BREAD

CHEESE

CHOCOLATE

Esmeralda shrugged, shoving the list in her pocket. She and the Rani were now inside the city limits. Up close the low-ceilinged buildings looked dingy and eroded.

"I doubt they have a Shop-Rite here," Esmeralda scoffed.

The Rani gave her a withering look before handing her a piece of blank paper and turning away in search of spare parts.

. . . . .

By the time the second sun had gone down, Esmeralda was hopelessly lost. Not that she was surprised; generally she had a horrible sense of direction. The first time she had driven down to Princeton, many wrong turns had led her almost to Ohio. _Don't think about that now_, Esmeralda scolded herself. _Think about how you're going to get back to the_ _TARDIS_, which wasn't much better of a thought.

After the Rani had left, Esmeralda had just stood there, blank paper in hand, unsure of what to do next. Shrugging, she had decided to go forwards; maybe she could find a city market or a Main Street with actual _people_-or aliens.

To Esmeralda's surprise she was right. As she walked forwards, the streets became more populated: first came the occasional hobo, then the family dwellings, and finally a bustling town square. Creatures- Esmeralda disliked the derogatory term but she could think of none better- of every variety strolled through the streets, stopping at vendor's stalls to purchase strange items. Esmeralda stopped a bipedal horned being with four arms where she might find a grocery store or a Shop-Rite, but he gave her an uncomprehending look, saying, "My apologies, but I am unfamiliar with those terms," and continued on his way. The same result occurred for each person Esmeralda stopped, with varying degrees of rudeness and etiquette.

Frustrated, Esmeralda sat down on an empty barrel, head in hands. How the hell was she supposed to find food when no one understood what she was asking for? And how was she supposed to pay for it? The Rani hadn't even given her money, just a blank piece of paper. What is god's name was she supposed to do with _that_? Esmeralda gave the paper a once-over, looking for any sort of mark that could indicate what it was. Nothing. She sighed, tempted to throw it away, when a vendor came over to yell at her for sitting on his barrel.

"Hey! Whaddya think you're- oh," he paused, seeing the piece of paper in Esmeralda's hands. "Pardon me, miss, I mistook you for a, ahem, street rat. Forgive me." The vendor, a small, wide green man with a flat face similar to that of a bullfrog, gave her a sweeping bow. Sitting down, Esmeralda could clearly see his greasy black comb-over. "Farlan Haros at your service."

Esmeralda was highly confused, but she sensed it would be better to play along. Apparently blank papers were important.

"Yes, sir, I would like to know where I could find some provisions." Esmeralda handed him the grocery list the Rani had given her.

"Right this way, miss," Farlan Haros said, leading Esmeralda into a shop under a pink and yellow awning. The triangular symbol on the door reminded Esmeralda of the Illuminati. She smirked at the thought.

Farlan Haros bustled around the shop, gathering the items on the Rani's list. Esmeralda frowned, wondering again how she was supposed to pay for the food; she didn't think the blank paper would cover it. The small vendor appeared in front Esmeralda, holding a bag of her wares. He held it out to her. Unsure of what to do, Esmeralda took the bag, saying, "How would you like your payment?" _Not prostitution, not prositution_, Esmeralda prayed.

"Those fine jewels on your ears would suffice," the vendor answered with a grin.

Esmeralda breathed a sigh of relief. _They barter instead of using currency_. She removed her earrings, placing them in Farlan Haros's green hand. No loss there; she had purchased the faux crystals for $2.95 at Claire's a few weeks prior, but the vendor didn't need to know that. As long as he believed he was receiving pricey jewels in exchange for bread and cheese she was fine. Esmeralda smiled, said her courtesies, and exited the shop, putting Farlan Haros's greasy grin behind her.

She figured it was high time to make her way back to the TARDIS, and with a few twist and turns down dark alleys and sketchy backstreets, Esmeralda ended up where she was at present: lost. Without its suns, the City of Sand seemed more menacing than fascinating. Every time she passed someone asleep in the streets her breath would catch in her throat until she had walked multiple blocks out of their line of vision.

The quiet of the sleeping city was unnerving. Hardly a sound was audible besides the wind blowing through the buildings and her own footsteps. At one point, Esmeralda thought she heard a second pair of footsteps along with hers, but she was unable to be sure. Either way, the mere thought of it gave her the heebie-jeebies. Esmeralda was certain someone was following her now- the footsteps seemed louder and closer. _Where the hell is that TARDIS? _

She stopped suddenly and turned around. Nothing. She kept walking. After a few meters, the footsteps picked up again.

Esmeralda suddenly turned around again; nothing.

This time, when Esmeralda resumed walking, she heard no extra footsteps. She breathed a sigh of relief. _They probably lost interest. Or maybe I was imagining it and no one is following me._

The thought had barely left Esmeralda's mind when a rough hand grabbed her by the neck, pinning her against the nearest wall.

"Not a word or I'll slice you open," a muffled voice growled from underneath a mask. Esmeralda felt the cold of a blade pressed against her throat. "Hand over your valuables and tell me what you know of the Last Great Time War."

. . . . .

"We had a deal, Gethan," the Rani hissed. "I helped you with your little pestilence problem and you agreed to provide me with any favor I asked."

"Well, ah, I was under the belief that you were dead; there was no way our agreement could be valid," the salesman defended, hands up in surrender.

The Rani's silver eyes flashed. "I am very much alive. Keep in mind that I could very easily rid myself of your presence."

Gethan took the Rani's threat seriously, as he should. "Very well, Lady Rani. This is the last _Etherbör_ in the Kasterboros Constellation-"

"In the universe."

"In-in the universe, and I-I think it requires adequate payment ." Gethan said, trembling.

"You're right. The payment is your life." The Rani took the _Etherbör_ and stalked out of the shop.

The Rani sighed. Threatening people was exhausting and she had been doing it all day. Thankfully, that was the last item on her list and she could head back to the TARDIS, arms full of bags and boxes. Now she just had to locate that pesky human. Where could she have gone anyways? With a flash of irritation the Rani realized she was probably lost among the twisting streets of the Sand City. _Great_, she berated herself. _She probably got herself killed in a dark alley._

Luckily, the Rani had stuck a tracking device on Esmeralda when she wasn't looking.

Shifting her bags, the Rani pulled out the tracking device and obtained Esmeralda's location in a matter of seconds. She was rather close and still alive, at least.

It took the Rani all of ten minutes to come within a block of Esmeralda's location; she paused only because she heard a voice.

"...and the Last Great Time War."

The Rani stiffened. _Who the hell is that and what do they want with the Time War?_

Esmeralda's voice was tiny with fear. "I-I have no idea what you're talk-oh!" Her small body shuddered as her attacker held something closer to her throat. The Rani had no doubt of what it was.

"Don't give me that crap," he growled. "I saw you with that Gallifreyan scum."

The Rani couldn't see his features, as his back faced her direction. Perfect. She switched her baggage to her left, freeing her right arm. Her hand traveled to her hip where a sword lay in its scabbard. She drew it with a _hissing_ sound. Esmeralda's attacker heard it too late; by the time he went to turn around, the Rani's blade flashed across and his head fell from his shoulders, spraying both Esmeralda and the Rani with his life's blood.

. . . . .

Esmeralda's eyes widened as the masked man's head tumbled from his shoulders, rolling on the ground in a pool of red liquid. His body began to slump towards Esmeralda; she pushed it away in disgust. Looking up, she noticed the Rani standing before her, a vicious sword glinting over her shoulder. In her left hand, she held numerous bags and boxes, the day's spoils.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

Esmeralda stuttered. "You-you just killed a man."

"Who was going to kill you, no doubt. Are you surprised? Come on, we have places to be." The Rani walked off without another word. Esmeralda had to jog a bit to catch up.

They walked in silence a few blocks more until the Rani noticed the bag slung around Esmeralda's wrist.

"What's that?" she asked.

Esmeralda's eyes narrowed. "The groceries you wanted."

"You actually got them? I'm impressed."

"Was it a test?!" Esmeralda asked incredulously.

"Of course! I gave you a blank paper; not many people can turn it into groceries," the Rani admitted.

They came upon the outskirts of the Sand City; the TARDIS gleamed in the moonlight a few meters out.

"What did you expect me to do?"

"Honestly, the whole thing was a wild goose chase." Esmeralda glared at the Time Lady. "But tell me- how did you manage it?"

Esmeralda turned her gaze forward as the Rani approached the TARDIS and unlocked the door. They both piled in.

"One of the vendors saw the paper and apparently it meant something because he led me into his store and got everything on your list for me."

The Rani's eyes widened in amusement as she flicked a lever, dematerializing the TARDIS. Esmeralda sat herself in a chair by the console, leaning on to her elbows.

"I wasn't sure how I was supposed to pay," she continued, "but he asked for my earrings. They were only plastic crystals from Claire's, but he didn't need to know that."

The Rani actually laughed out loud. "Thank whatever deity you're clever," she said. "Those merchants- they're sleazy creatures. He's going to be in a lot of trouble when he finds out those earrings were fake. That you actually out-conned a merchant of Sand City, and unplanned at that! They're notorious for trying to get the most out of you." Esmeralda had gained the Rani's respect; the Time Lady had been reduced to threats for most of her purchases. She began pulling TARDIS-parts out of her bag while Esmeralda watched curiously.

"There was another thing," Esmeralda turned to the Rani, "that the guy said, you know, before you decapitated him. He mentioned the Last Great Time War." The Rani stiffened. "So did you, I think, or something along those lines."

"The Time War..."

"That's the one," Esmeralda replied. "What, uh, happened with that?"

The Rani's eyes were shadows. "It's a long story, and not a pleasant one. It ended in the destruction of my race and my planet." Her grip on the instrument she was holding tightened. "What would a thief from the Sand City want with the Time War?"

. . . . .

A/N: Ooh the Time War! Honestly not sure what I'm gonna do with that, but definitely something good *rubs hands together suspiciously*

So that was a pretty long chapter; kinda surprised myself there with that. Hope you enjoyed it! More action in the next one, though I'm not really sure when it'll be up; I barely have enough time for sleep let alone writing! Again, I wish i could provide a regular schedule, but, alas, life is cruel.

Please follow, favorite, and review! I'd like to know if I have any typos too so I can fix it asap. Feel free to leave your opinions and ideas! Thanks 3


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